Language has always been an issue on social media, whether you’re a global brand or a small business reaching out to different markets: do you post in English, your native language, or both? In the past, Facebook attempted to provide solutions such as organic location targeting, Global Pages, and so on. But here’s the thing: you still had to speak the language!
That is what makes this new feature even more awesome: it allows you to translate anything you write into any language you want and then post it on Facebook, automatically targeting the specific language to the right users! AMAZING!
Write Post In Another Language
It all begins with your Page. Simply write your status update as usual, then click “Write post in another language.” The magic begins here: automatic translation into any language, with the option to translate your update into as many languages as you want.
Of course, the translation will not always be perfect, but hey, that’s already a huge accomplishment, right? In the preceding example, the translation fails to recognize the plural when translating “awesome,” resulting in “génial” instead of “géniaux” in French and “o” instead of “” in Greek. If the automatic translation does not work, you can simply change it by editing the post! Not a problem!
Machine Learning At The Heart Of Translation
Facebook created its new translation tool in order to learn from its mistakes. The errors I reported will be corrected over time, thanks to feedback from users on both sides of the translation – for example, if a French user wants to translate “Nous sommes tellement géniaux” into English, Facebook will recognize that this relates to “We are so awesome” in English and learn from previous incorrect translations. At its best, machine learning!
User Friendly And Location Targeting
You can publish your post in as many languages as you want, but each user will only see one. The platform will choose the most appropriate version based on various criteria such as the language in which a user uses Facebook as well as their location or the language in which they typically write posts.
Someone who lives in the United Kingdom but mostly shares updates in Greek, for example, would be served the Greek version of the above post even if he uses Facebook in English. The system as a whole is extremely responsive, and it understands each user’s situation and habits.
This is an incredible new Facebook feature that opens up a world of possibilities for any business of any size. Consider a world in which you can converse with anyone in your community, regardless of whether you are fluent in their language. I’m astounded. Congratulations, Facebook!
